Suckers?

[Bearcarver]

Yup, that would be the ones.

Here are the various ones out there (PA):
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/pafish/fishhtms/chap12.htm

BC

 

[vince]

I remember catching them as a kid, but even back then I didn't want to eat the nasty things , LOL

 

[northern greenhorn]

I think P.T. Barnum said, there's one born every minute.

 

[denver dave]

I have caught a lot of suckers in my day but have never considered eating them. I would expect them to be way too bony to enjoy.

 

[wingman]

Suckers are a catch, releasse and pretend it never happened around these parts. Known as a scrap fish or scrappy Ars fish. Eating one never entered my mind. So now I have to ask, other then a tiny bone fest, how do they taste?

 

[boisblancboy]

Its been a long time since I have had one smoked, but I do remember them being decent. From some of the other people that live around me that do smoke them just told me to save only their mid-section. Cut the head and the tail off, cause of course the farther down the fish the smaller and more bones to deal with. The rib bones are fairly big and easy to pick out after they are smoked.

I know alot of people too that preasure cook them. That is really good, if you like tuna fish you would like this too.

 

[Bearcarver]

On a lighter side,
I do remember (56 years ago) when I was 5 years old, hooking into a sucker that was about 20" long, while standing on a walking bridge. I was reeling & reeling, but wasn't getting anywhere. I guess I would have been there until the next day, if my 9 year old brother didn't come over & tighten the drag. Nobody told me about the drag until that day.

Hope nobody minds a slight veer off the "smoking suckers" topic,

Bearcarver

 

[twistertail]

About the only people I know who do not like suckers are the ones who have NOT tried them. The meat is nice white firm meat, but as others have said they have a row of small pin bones on each side. If you can them they make great fish patties or if you smoke them you can pull the small bones out pretty easy. They are good fried also if you keep an eye out for the bones. I've had several people tell me suckers are nasty, so I always ask how they fixed them. Then they say well I've never really tried them but I've always heard.... ha ha.

 

[riverdale]

Smoke them, then pressure can them. Most of the bones will disolve :D

From your handle, I am making a guess you are in Lake Huron? If so is Sponge's still open?

 

[boisblancboy]

Yep you guessed right, I live on the island that is about 5 miles or so east of the Mackinaw Bridge.

 

[jethro]

I am originally from Michigan born and bred. Sucker is the worlds nastiest fish UNLESS smoked then it is pure Heaven. A good salt brine and a big chief smoker was what my DAD used. Mom would can the ones that didn't fit in the smoker, and like what mentioned earlier, the bones disolve. then use it like canned tuna...Damn I miss Michigan. I will always call Her home.

 

[guppyii]

Just did a batch last week. While Steelhead fishing we catch quite a few and usually let the trout go and keep the suckers.. My great Uncle had a resort in the Upper Penninsula and we used to get them every spring by the truckload. The way we do them is to fillet from gills to the anal fin then out, the tail has alot of the bones so you eliminate some there. We leave the ribs in as it keeps the fish moist. for the brine you take and fill a 5 gal. pail halfway with water and dissolve enough salt to float an egg. Add about a dozen suckers worth of fillets and stir every half hour for 2 hours. Pull the fillets out, rinse, pat dry, and set on smoker racks to dry for an hour while you get a smoke going and up to heat. Smoke for about 2 hours around 225* untill 'golden brown'. BTW the best wood we found was hard Maple we get this from the Newberry area it has a mild sweet flavor. Good luck,Kevin.

 

[duke trana]

I know it's hard to believe, but the suckers in those pictures are actually one of the best tasting smoked fish.  They are used as bait when they are smaller, and as decoys for spearing Northern Pike in the winter until they are about 10 or 12 inches long.  Once they get full grown, like the ones you see laying on the ground in the pictures above, they aren't good for much other than smoking.  I hope you get a chance to try some smoked suckers someday, because they are really good.

 

[duke trana]

I see the picture of the bait laying on the ground, but wheres the fish youre supposed to eat.

All I can think of for suckers, is those little things at the pet store in the freshwater aquariums that suck on the glass...

I know it's hard to believe, but the suckers in those pictures are actually one of the best tasting smoked fish. They are used as bait when they are smaller, and as decoys for spearing Northern Pike in the winter until they are about 10 or 12 inches long. Once they get full grown, like the ones you see laying on the ground in the pictures above, they aren't good for much other than smoking. I hope you get a chance to try some smoked suckers someday, because they are really good.

 

[thoseguys26]

The only thing I ever use suckers for is cut bait for lake trout. Meaning, I cut it up into 1'' chunks and hook it on a heavy jig and jig it close to the bottom. Lakers love it.